BY COMBINING A NISSAN S-BODY CHASSIS WITH A
TWIN-TURBO 2JZ-GTE ENGINE FROM A TOYOTA SUPRA,
PAUL CONLAN SAYS HE’S BUILT THE ULTIMATE DRIFT CAR.
JP MEETS UP WITH MAN AND MACHINE TO FIND OUT...

the 33-year-old
northern irish drift
ace narrowly missed
out on the 2010 edc
title but with the
supra powered silvia
hitting top form, he’s
sure to be a real
contender for the
2011 series

Building the ultimate drift car
doesn’t have to mean a huge
budget. Paul saved money by
starting with a crash-damaged
S15, and bought the drivetrain
and brakes from Japanese
salvage specialist, McKeevers,
in Northern Ireland

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Page 36

Beat_

the_

_banker
Words: Paddy McGrath & Dan
Sherwood
Pics: Paddy McGrath

GREEDY INVESTMENT BANKERS MAY HAVE
CRIPPLED IRELAND’S ECONOMY, BUT IT’LL TAKE A
LOT MORE TO DEFEAT ITS MODIFYING SPIRIT, AS
MARTIN FFRENCH AND HIS SR20-ENGINED
TOYOTA ALTEZZA PROVES…
36

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The black weave runs
through the Wexican
Motorsport Altezza like
the writing in a stick of
Blackpool rock. The front
door skins, mirrors and
rear tailgate are all made
from lightweight carbon
fibre and help keep the
carâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s weight to a minimum

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12:26 PM

Page 44

l
a
y
o
R

h
s
u
l
F
_

re
Carbona
o Dalle
Pics: Din
d
n
a
s
Word

AS THE LOOK TO BE ROCKING ON
THE SHOW AND STREET SCENE,
HELLAFLUSH IS THE LATEST U.S.
STYLE SENSATION THAT IS
MAKING ITS WAY HERE TO THE
UK. JP GIVES YOU THE LOWDOWN
ON THE LOOK AND HOW YOU
CAN ACHIEVE IT ON YOUR RIDE.

Flushness defined
Tucked
As seen on a lot of cars running airbags and hydraulics, tucked cars have the
wheels tucked right up inside the arches. A popular style with VIP cars.

Flush
Heavily lowered but still drivable. What most people in the Flush scene
would refer to as daily drivers. About 15mm of tyre-to-arch gap.

Hella
Perfect offset, super slammed and just about drivable. Most owners scrape over
everything, but that doesn't bother them. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a lifestyle decision that is all about the look.

Mexi
The most extreme level of flushness, Mexi is when the offset of the wheels is off by a lot
and are poking out of the arches. Popular with low riders, retro cars and vans.

44

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4/1/11

10:25 AM

Page 45

N

ot to be confused with what you may need after a hella-spicy
Vindaloo, Hellaflush is in fact a styling movement that is
taking the automotive tuning world by storm. Fuelled by
countless Internet forums and websites, Hellaflush is a look based
solely around a car’s ‘stance’, which has gained legions of loyal
disciples who worship at the font of offset, say prayers to the
saviour of stretch, and give praise to the lowered.
Originally coined back in 2003 in the US, when a friend of
Fatlace footwear and clothing mogul, Mark Arcenal, stated that
Mark’s drift car looked ‘Hellaflush’. The car was running a wild set
of rims with extreme offset at the time, and the term just seemed to
fit with the look. It has stuck ever since and has become the term
of choice for fashion conscious modifiers who believe, above all
else, that stance is king.
In performance tuning terms, the Hellaflush look is more like
anti-tuning, as the result of rocking this extreme style is often that
your car’s ability to go fast is drastically compromised. But then, as
any wannabe fashionista could tell you, as they squeeze their
oversized arse into their latest pair of oh-so-stylish skinny jeans: all
too often, ‘beauty is pain’. And it’s the same with Hellaflush
devotees, who are willing to put themselves through the pain of

www.japaneseperformancemagazine.co.uk

living with the extreme look, in order to get the attention that they
crave. They don’t care that their car can no longer drive over
speedbumps, or that the ride is harder than a Yakuza henchman.
They don’t care that their stretched and over-inflated tyres are
running on the inside shoulders, and are only going to last them a
couple of months before they need replacing. They also don’t care
if any speed over 50mph causes the suspension arms and
sideskirts to make contact with the tarmac, as long as they’re
representing their chosen automotive style. Hellaflush is definitely
not a look for everyone, but for those brave enough (or stupid
enough) to live with the look, there’s no denying that it produces
some seriously sexy looking rides, as US-modifier Tony Dau
proves with his seductively ‘flushed’ Subaru Impreza. JP takes a
look into what makes his ride so cool, and how you too can get
your ride Hellaflushed.
On paper, getting the look right really shouldn't be that difficult –
surely it's just a case of buying a set of cheap coilovers, chucking
on some wide rims and dropping your car until it starts stripping
the tarmac from the road? Well clearly not, as the small gang of
big-balled builders will vouch, to get this look just so, you need all
the right ingredients...